New England at Seattle (02/01/2015)

“It’s all about reading your keys and doing your job. If your job is to be on the quarterback, then you’ve got to read your keys and do just that,” said Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich. “Again, on that particular play, people get in trouble when they become overly aggressive and try and go for the dive when that’s not their responsibility, and the quarterback pulls it and makes a play.”

Ends such as Jones and Ninkovich, and linebackers such as Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins, will need to be on point against the read option. If Wilson keeps it, he’ll likely be running outside, so those on the end must make sure there’s no clear path.

But Wilson is only half of the puzzle. He could simply give the ball to Lynch, a battering ram of a back who runs with power and is one of the toughest backs to tackle. Focus too much on Wilson running, and the Patriots could leave themselves exposed against Lynch. In fact, that’s what Wilson prefers.

“They have to bring attention to Marshawn. Obviously being the best running back in the National Football League, they’ve got to pay attention to him, so I try to hand him off the football,” Wilson said. “Really, like I said [Wednesday], 99 percent of my goal is to hand the ball off to Marshawn. If nobody’s over there, then I’ll take it.”

Either proposition is scary for the defense. Picking your poison is a gamble, but the Patriots might be able to choose where the ball goes, depending on how they line up defensively.

“You can certainly assign guys to force the ball into a particular player’s hands, and that’s something you want to try and do to keep it moving on the offense so the reads are more difficult,” Patricia said. “I think it really depends on who the skill players are. It’s very rare that you get probably the best running back and one of the best quarterbacks at the same time. You’re usually going to have one guy that’s probably a little bit more dangerous than the other.

NO! Don't be ridiculous. I don't wager unless I can get an edge. Realistically, if I had to lay between 5 to 6.5 points, then the Hawks would represent outrageous value. I still stand by my figures that Seattle wins this between 10-12 points.